Israel Wants Peace With Palestinians, But Not at Any Expense: Sharon

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made it clear that his right-wing government wants peace with the Palestinians, but "not at any expense."

"We are committed to peace and I am ready to make painful concessions for peace. But I will not make any concession on the security of the people of Israel," Sharon declared at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Bulent Ecevit following talks between the two.

Sharon arrived in Ankara Wednesday morning for a one-day visit, which came at a time when tensions are escalating daily between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sharon said that Israel was determined to resume the peace process in the shortest possible time. But he showed no desire to soften his hardline policy regarding key issues that are separating the two sides.

Sharon was adamant while commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian violence triggered by his visit to an Islamic holy shrine in East Jerusalem last September. The shrine is known as al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews.

Sharon said that "the Temple Mount was the holiest site of the Jewish people and each Jew has the right to visit such a holy site," adding that "Jerusalem will remain as the eternal capital of Jews."

"As a soldier, I understand the need for peace more than any other politicians." he said, adding that "we want the negotiations to start, but a condition for this, I emphasize, is to stop the violence completely."

Claiming that nearly half of the attacks were staged by the forces of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Sharon said in a threatening tone that "Arafat must decide if he seeks to head an independent state or a gang of murderers."

"The way leading to peace is clear. Whenever tranquility is provided, we will not spend a single day to start peace talks," he noted.

Sharon blamed the Palestinian side for the escalation of violence in the past months, saying that the Palestinians had not taken necessary measures to stop the violence.

Recalling that he had submitted a list of people who were believed to have been members of fundamentalist organizations, Sharon stressed that if Arafat had arrested those people, he would have prevented acts of violence.

Sharon underlined the importance of Turkey's role in providing stability in the Middle East, stressing that "an enlarged war will not break out in the region."

For his part, Ecevit urged Sharon to take initiatives toward peace. "We wish that the peace process would be resumed. We attribute great importance to restarting the peace process," he said, expressing hope that the Mitchell report would be put into practice."

"According to our point of view, it is not realistic to put an end to violence as a precondition to reach a final agreement. Because those who oppose an agreement continue to support violence so that a final peace cannot be reached," he said.

"Therefore, we believe while efforts to stop the violence are undertaken, steps to revive the peace process must also be taken," he added.

During his whirlwind visit in Ankara, Sharon also met with Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer at the Presidential Office and State Minister in charge of Economy Kemal Dervis.






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